I spent much of last week trying to avoid all that hysteria about Wall-E being “left-wing, America-hating propaganda,” even though I’m absolutely positive that The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was responsible for that steep rise in an interest in black magic amongst teens in the early 50s, and also that there would be neither PETA nor any form of federal gun control if it weren’t for Bambi. But what can I say? For whatever reason, I wasn’t in the mood to hear Steve Jobs compared to Joseph Goebbels, or to sound the violins for the poor demonized corporations, any of which could surely rule our state better than any democracy. Chalk it up to the holiday, I guess!
But now, here comes Frank Rich, late to the party but determined to shoot it up nonetheless. “Wall-E For President!” his NY Times Op-Ed column shouts from the headline––the exclamation mine, but definitely implied. Tired of seeing Wesley Clark’s talking head on TV, he explains, Rich went to the movies last week to see Wall-E. After making the patently false statement that the film counts as “a rare economic bright spot” in the current movie year (yes, it did well, but a LOT of movies have been doing well––virtually every movie vertical is doing better than 12 months previously), Rich declared the apocalyptic animated film to be “more realistically in touch with what troubles America this year than either the substance or the players of the political food fight beyond the multiplex’s walls.” Read: people are fat, they live amongst garbage and they allow corporations to control their lives, and John McCain and Barack Obama don’t even notice! But the kicker doesn’t come until the final paragraph:
Mr. McCain should be required to see Wall-E to learn just how far adrift he is from an America whose economic fears cannot be remedied by his flip-flop embrace of the Bush tax cuts (for the wealthy) and his sham gas-tax holiday (for everyone else). Mr. Obama should see it to be reminded of just how bold his vision of change had been before he settled into a front-runner’s complacency. Americans should see it to appreciate just how much things are out of joint on an Independence Day when a cartoon robot evokes America’s patriotic ideals with more conviction than either of the men who would be president.
I haven’t seen Wall-E, and though I’m sure it’s just as good as everyone insists it is and totally deserves 20 million Oscars (or else it’s a virus that’s going to turn Our Children into tax-hiking Commie zombies––whatever!), there few things in this world that irk me more than the sanctimonious suggestion from a newspaper columnist that prospective world leaders “could really learn a thing or two” from watching a Hollywood movie, let alone a Hollywood movie geared toward an audience old enough to be susceptible to the charm of the film’s assorted synergistic tie-ins, but too young to actually pay for their own ancilaries themselves. Shit is, as we know, pretty bad out there, but it’s hard to decide what’s the more ridiculous rhetoric suggestion for the replacement of our current political system: rescue by corporation, or by cartoon.
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FilmCouch #85: Death Race, Crispin Glover’s What is It?
Some movies are violent, some are disturbing, and others are just plain wrong. Paul W. S. Anderson’s Death Race is a fun ride with some gnarly crashes, but it can’t hold a candle to its demented predecessor, Roger Corman’s Death Race 2000 (1975).
Cinema’s favorite weirdo, Cripsin Glover, is taking his film across the country, personally [...]
[...] Longworth takes issue more with Frank Rich writing the piece on Wall-E than with the piece, or the message: I haven’t [...]
I saw Wall-e on July 4th, and while I do think it’s somewhat reminscent of idiocracy and its “OMG WE’RE DUMBING DOWN AMERICA WITH CORPORATIONS” tone, but beneath the surface Wall-E was a really enjoyable film. Having a movie with nearly NO dialogue and keeping a great pacing throughout isn’t something just anyone could accomplish.
I’ll take a film that’s only one level above a popcorn flick on the 4th of july.
I understand that the blogosphere runs second to second and that one must strike while the iron is hot, but posting before you’ve seen the film is pretty irresponsible.
(in less delicate terms: One’s ass might have good accoustics, but that doesn’t mean you should talk out of it)
Rich isn’t saying that the candidates should be taking notes as to what Pixar is saying about economic or environmental policy, he’s making an argument about values, focus, and message. In THESE areas, politicians are (maybe, just maybe) less apt than a filmmaker.
If you’d seen the film, you might have a better perspective, but please don’t let that get in the way of a good sarcastic rant. Lord knows there aren’t enough of those out there. And they TOTALLY change the world more than any stupid little movie.
The content of Wall-E itself doesn’t matter to my argument, because I’m not making any judgement as to its quality or value. I’m merely annoyed by the way both sides––the various conservative bloggers and Rich––are capitalizing on the movie as a philosophic menace/savior. It’s hyperbole anyway you slice it. In the case of Rich, it’s an easy way out of actually making a political statement, and in the case of the bloggers, it’s an example of herd mentality and a total unwillingness to actual engage in criticism of the film as a work of art.
My post does not pretend to be a work of criticism, it’s not even really about the movie itself––it’s about reactions to the movie.
Dear Karina,
if you watch the movie, you will understand what Rich is talking about. He is talking about simple human values, including “focus on our problems”. Wall-E does not have answers, but it has a funny robot who has more willingness to learn/solve a problem than our current blabbering mainstream media does.
But I say, and balu says, and nearly everyone posting at Awardsdaily is saying that you’re missing the point due in large part to the fact that you haven’t seen the movie. It isn’t about the quality of the film or your reaction to the film, it’s the message of the film matched again with Rich’s argument.
The film is political, and it’s the first film to make all this kumbaya, let’s clean up the planet shit not seem sanctimonious and syrupy. (remember the end of the “Tookarjobs” episode of South Park in which the begin to clean up the earth but abruptly stop because it was “gay”, in Wall-E, they actually make that ending work!)
Re-read Rich’s column: He never says that neither candidate knows about these issues or cares, he never claimed that the film was the magical answer to all our problems. YOU put those words in Rich’s mouth and then argued with them.
I think the crux of his argument lies here: “a cartoon robot evokes America’s patriotic ideals with more conviction than either of the men who would be president.”
It’s a sad statement about politics, not a hyperbole about the power of film. Rich is a political columnist and, yes, he’s capitalizing on a film that millions of Americans saw and millions more will see before November. But he’s been around the block a few times, he knows that Wall-E can’t change the world. He hopes that the only two men that can change the world can inspire the denizens of earth to change their ways, like Wall-E did to the passengers of the Axiom. A vain hope perhaps, but an apt point.
Your blog is very good.
Please give your advice for my blog.
Thanks and have a nice day.
Yep. Agreed with some people here that you really should know more about a topic before posting ANYTHING about anything that you yet don’t know for sure.
Wall-E totally looks like the robot from “Short Circuit”… minus the cheesy 80’s style of course
Artwork has helped change the course of politics and people’s lives before. Think China. Think Barry Goldwater.
I hope the film does inspire kids to have a revolutioary mindset based on curiosity and love, the character WALL-E’s defining qualities. A little bit of luck too.
Not that the system we live in is that bad but… people are dying in foreign countries, kids are dropping out of school and living in poverty and the temperature is rising.
I understand this blog isn’t about the movie, so let me just comment on the revolution. I hope all of you will work peacefully. Working within our democratic system may also be wise.
I don’t believe it is propaganda at all. In my opinion it is only a movie to entertain and possibly teach children to care for the environment and to get some freaking exercise!
Also, I would like to point out (not to the author here, of course, but to the believers of the propaganda) that Wall-E was already being made way before all this intense Presidential, Environmental and Economical shiz.
Ps. Loved the movie and thought it was adorable. My boyfriend thought it was even better than Iron Man, Indiana Jones, The Hulk or Speed Racer. He is a total movie junkie (insisted on advanced tickets for Dark Knight) and is FAR from anyone who cares about the environment or politics THAT much. Haha.